Coking retort oven



Nov. 30, 1937. J. BECKER COKING RETORT OVEN 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 19, 1935 ATTORNEY.

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nu E EE MUFU U EU QN N Patented Nov. 30, 1937 UNITED "STATES PATENT OFFICE coma aa'roa'r OVEN Joseph Becker, Pittsburgh, Pa, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Koppers Company, a corporation of Delaware Application January 19, 1935, Serial No. 2,564 In Great Britain October 25, 1933 12 Claims.

exemplified in the Jweph Becker Patent Nor The present application is a continuation in part of my co-pending application Serial No. 587,541, flied January 19, 1932, now Patent No.

2,015,657 issued October 1, 1935, and also a continuation in part of my co-pending application Serial No. 639,448, filed October 25, 1932, now Patent No. 2,019,843, issued November 5, 1935.

The invention concerns the provision of improvements in the type of ovens shown in my aforesaid Patent No. 1,904,191; and-main objects of the invention are: to reduce resistance in the gas circuits around the coking-chambers, the circuits through which the combustion media and combustion products flow from the base of flameflues on one side of a coking-chamber upwards and over the coking-chamber and down to the a base of the down-flooring flues on the other side of the coking-chamber, and at the same time providing exact regulation for the combustion media where they enter the up-burning flame-flues; such reducing of resistance, while maintaining such exact regulation, having the efl'ect of diminishing pressure differences all along the course of such gas flow and permitting the flow to be eflecte'd both under lower pressures and stackdraft and also with consequent lower pressure diflerentials between the gases in the combustion flues and the gases insthe contiguous coking- -chamber or chambers, thereby also minimizing any tendency to leakage from the flues into the coking-chamber or elsewhere; the provision of a vertical combustion flue construction in the heating walls and the communicable connection of the vertical flues of the heating walls with the vertical flues in others of the heating walls by freely flowing horizontal and cross-over flues, together with regulation means for regulation of the gas and air for the vertical combustion flues at the bottoms oi the vertical flues, soas to remove resistance to the passage of gas through the vertical flues, horizontal flues and cross-over flues. In ovens of the type in which the present invention is an improvement, the burning gases in the upflow vertical flues have been regulated by means of the restricted ports and sliding bricks therefor at the tops of the vertical .flues. The restricted top ports and the adjustment oi the sliding bricks restricted the cross-sectional area of the vertical flues to less than the maximum aggregate cross-sectional area of the air and gas inlet ports to the vertical flues, producing a gas throttling effect. The throttling of the gases causes increased diflerences in pressure between the upper parts of the vertical flues operable for upflow and those following portions of the other flues that operate concurrently for oiI-flow of waste gas toward the regenerators and the stack; such differences in pressure being much steeper and higher than they would be were such restrictions omitted. Further such throttling may slow upthe flow of gas and result in'building up of gas pressures slightly greater than the gas pressure in the adjoining coking chambers, especially alongside the upper parts of the cokingchambers where some 01. the waste gas from the vertical flues might leak into the coking-chamber and flow off with the distillate gas issuing from the coking chambers.

The present invention overcomes such pressure difliculties while still furnishing the required regulation, by providing for graduated control through the relatively small air and gas inlet ports in the bottoms of the vertical flues where all throttling oi the gas and air will occur at or below the bottoms of the vertical flues, and by providing the vertical flues at their tops with openings that are relatively'very large in com parison to the efiective aggregate cross-sectional area of the gas and air inlets to the vertical flues, so that the vertical flues are practicallyfree of constrictions at their upper parts that would build up pressures. In the present construction the outlets from the upper parts of the vertical flues do not present the back pressure conditions which obtain when the control is at the top rather than the bottoms of the vertical flues. .In this manner the up-burning flues are operable with smaller gas pressure, the diflerences in pressure along the path of flow from the inlet of an up-burning vertical flue to the regenerator outlet or the down-burning vertical flue are less sharp; and the oven battery as a whole is capable of being operated under lesser stack draft. The invention has for further objects such other operative and structural advantages or results as may be found to obtain in the structures and operationhereinafter described and claimed;

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification and showing for purposes of exempliflcation certain preferred forms and. manner in which the invention may be embodied and practiced, but without limiting the claimed inven- 5Q tion specifically to such illustrative instance or instances:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a coking retort oven or oven-battery of the before-mentioned Becker type of cross-over ovens embodying the present. invention, the section being taken :rizfliigossd2 se of the battery on the lines II of Fig. 2 is a composite vertical sectional view, lengthwise of the coking retort oven or oven battery, taken on the lines A-A and BB of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the lines III-III of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line IVIV of Fig. 1, showing the outlets from the vertical flues into the horizontal flow duct means;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line VV of Fig. 1, showing graduated control of the air and gas inlets into the vertical flues;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the line VI-VI of Fig. 5 showing the variable regulation means for the air and gas ii'iegenerator ports at the bottoms of the vertical ues;

'Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line VIIVII of Fig. 6 and showing the removable nozzles for the rich gas inlet ports and the manner in which the sliding bricks are slidably supported in the flues for regulation of the air and gas regenerator inlet ports;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the sliding bricks;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary vertical view similar to Fig. 1 of an oven or battery of the underjet type embodying the present invention;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary composite vertical sectional view, similar to Fig. 2, taken on the lines CC and DD of Fig. 9.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts in the several views.

In the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, the invention is incorporated in a combination coke oven battery, that is, a battery having provision for being fired alternatively with an extraneously derived relatively lean gas, such as producer gas, or with a relatively rich gas such as coke oven gas. For convenience, the

present description will be confined to the present illustrated embodiment of the invention in such a combination e ven battery; features of the invention may be applied to other structures, for example, to ordinary so-called coke-ovens fired with coke-oven gas, or ordinary so-called gas ovens fired with producer gas; hence, the invention is not confined in its scope to the combination. oven or to the specific use and specific embodiment herein described as an illustrative example.

As the present improvements are useful with various types of cross-over ovens and as the details of such improved ovens may be readily understood by reference to my aforesaid patents and copending applications which are made a part hereof, a brief description of the various .arts of the oven battery that are concerned with the present improvements will suffice for an understanding of the same.

The coking retort oven or oven-battery comprises a. series of horizontal coking-chambers i0 and intermediate heating-walls l2 therefor and side-by-side therewith, and series of side-by-side cross-regenerators l3, it below and paralleling the series of coking-chambers and heating-walls,

together with the communications between said heating-walls and regenerators and the further gas conduits and supporting walls and other structures shown. The heating-walls comprise vertical heating-flues l5 disposed in sets, one set in each heating-wall, the sets in pairs of mutually adjacent heating-walls .being mutually connected by cross-over conduits l6 through which the hot combustion-products or waste-heat gases from the up-flow or burning set of heating-flues in one heating-wall flow over to the down-flow set of heating-fluesin the other heating-wall of the pair, the flow being reversed and the up-flow set becoming the down-flow set and vice versa upon the reversal of the regenerative system. The lower ends of the cross-over conduits 5 port into horizontal passages I! that communicably join the top outlets I8 of the heating flues in the heating-walls. The set of heating-flues in each heating-wall, all of which flow in one direction, either upward or downward, at any one time, are disposed in groups of four heating-flues each except at each end of each wall where the end groups are in pairs, the several heatingflues in each group being separated from each other by vertical partitions l9 transverse of the heating-wall, the partitions within each group stopping somewhat short of the top of the heating-wall to provide the above-mentioned communicating passages IT. The flow from or to the heating-flues in each group traverses directly the cross-over conduit l6 that is above the middle partition IS in such group, and the top of said middle partition is flared, at 22, beneath the adjacent port of the cross-over conduit, to promote equality of flow to or from the middle heatingflues of the group and to or from those heatingfiucs of the same group that are farther from said cross-over conduit. In the said set of heating-flues, comprised in the heating-wall, there are about eight of the adjacent groups and' a corresponding number of cross-over conduits i6 respectively serving said groups and the corresponding groups in the set of heating-flues comprised in the adjacent heating-wall of the pair. The tops of the heating-flues of each heatingwall are accessible throughgthe usual inspection holes 23' extending to the top of the oven or battery.

The horizontal coking-chambers l0, intermediate the heating-walls, are of greater height than the heating-walls and have their opposite ends closed as usually by removable doors 24, and are tapered laterally about two inches from the pusher end [0 toward the coke end l0", the door on the pusher-side end of the chamber being as usually constructed with an opening at its upper part through which the leveler bar of the pusher machine may be entered to level off and determine the height of the top of the coal charge 26, which enters through the top charging openings 32 and which is commonly somewhat higher than the tops of the aforesaid heating flues and horizontal gas flow spaces l1, so that, upon shrinkage of the coal in coking, the top of the coked charge will still be a little above the tops of the heating-flues and horizontal gas flow spaces l1, thereby insuring a relatively cool coke-charge top immediately below the gas-collecting crown space 21' of the coking-chamber, and thereby protecting from decomposition the distillation gases that collect in such crown space and flow off from the coking-chamber through the ascension pipes 54 that eommunicably connect the ends of the coking-chamber with the gas-collectcoke-side respectively of the battery.

The aforesaid cross-regenerators, below and paralleling the series of coking-chambers and heating-walls, are disposed in groups of four, each group having two middle gas-regenerators l3, l3, flanked by two air-regenerators l4, l4. The gasregenerators l3, II are adapted for preheating poor or weak gas, such as producer gas or blast furnace gas, but are also adapted for preheating air when the ovens are being fired with strong "as, such as their own distillation gases which do not require regenerative preheating. The airregenerators H are adapted for preheating air and in each group they flank the middle gasregenerators l3, l3 which are thereby isolated from the regenerators of adjacent groups that are simultaneously operating for down-flow or outflow of waste gases, such isolating of the gasregenerators serving to eliminate possibilities of leakage of gas into the countercurrent flow of waste-gases under lower pressure in said adjacent regenerator groups. At any given time, alternate groups of regenerators operate for upflow of gas and air and the intermediate groups for down-flow of waste gases, these relations being reversed at each period of reversal of the regenerative system (as set forth in, for instance, my Patents No. 1,678,802 and No. 1,904,191). Each pair of gas-regeneratora l3 communicates through two ducts 21, 21 at their tops with heating-flues IS in heating-walls that are on respectively opposite sides of the coking chamber that is directly above such gas-regenerators; and the two air-regenerators l4 that flank said gas-regenerators each communicate respectively, through ducts 28, with theheating-flues in one of said two heating-walls that are both in communication with said gas-regenerators. Such two heating-walls operate simultaneously in the same direction in respect of each other and respectively belong to two adjacent pairs of the pairs of heating-walls that are connected by cross-over conduits IS in the manner before described. The groups of regenerators are separated from each other bythe oven supporting pillar-walls 29 that are respectively located directly below those coking-chambers which are within the paired heating-walls that are connected 'by the crossoverconduits It as above mentioned. In each group the gas and air regenerators are separated from each other-by the oven supporting pillarwalls 30 that are respectively located substantially below the two heating-walls that 'are fed by and receive waste gas from the regenerators of said group. These pillar-walls 30 within each regenerator. group are of somewhat thicker structure than the pillar-walls 29 between the adjacent groups of regenerators.

The above-described regenerators are in two.

eries lengthwise of the battery, one series for the "usher-side half of the battery and the other series for the coke-side half of the battery, the

cross-regenerators of the one series abutting end for end, along the lengthwise middle of the batery, with the corresponding cross-regenerators if the other series and being separated therefrom my the median longitudinal partition wall 3| that extends longitudinally along the middle of the battery transversely under the middle of the series of coking-chambers and heating-walls comprised in the super-structure abov the regenerators. The abutting gas-regenerators in the pusher-side series and coke-sideseries respectively are fed with gas from the usual gas-mains that extend along the pusher-side and coke-side reends with communications 36 for connection with the usual (but not shown) air-boxes, all of which are provided with air inlet valves and also communicate through connections with an adjacent waste gas tunnel, one such tunnel extending along the outside of the sub-structures on either side of the battery. Air-boxes, as usually, are provided for the gasregenerators, these air-boxes having valved communication, through connections, with the respective gas-mains on opposite sides of the battery, that supply gas for the gasregenerators; and the air inlet valves for these air-boxes are at all times kept'closed when the battery is being fired with gas from said gasmains that feed the gas-regenerators. The usual reversal mechanisms are provided for operating.

the valves of the air and gas and waste gas connections just above mentioned, which control the inflow and outflow to and from the regenerators of the battery. When the battery is being fired with strong gas, such as its own gases of distillation, which does not require regenerative preheating but has a large air requirement, all of the connections of the regenerators l3 to the gasmains are kept closed, and all of their air-boxes are employed for supplying air to and withdrawing waste gases from all of the regenerators of the battery, thus providing an increased supply of regen'eratively preheated air by utilizing for air not only the air-regenerators l4 but also the gasbase of each heating-flue is provided with a gasconduit 4| that extends directly downward to a rich-gas conduit 40 in the capital of pillarwalls 30 (Figs. 1 to 8), and in the modification shown in Figs. 9 and 10, down through the foundation-mat 42 that supports the regenerators. In the latter instance each such conduit is provided at its lower exposed end with an individual hand-valve 43 that is accessible below the battery and by which the gas flow for the conduit maybe individually regulated by the operator. Further individual pipe-connections 44 connect each conduit with a branch-header 45 that is in turn connected by a pipe'46 with a gas-main 41 that supplies gas to the battery from some reservoir-source in which the gases of distillation of the same battery, or of like batteries in the same plant, are collected and stored. There are two such gas-mains 41 extending longitudinally under the 'battery, one under its pusher-side half and one under its coke-side half; and there is a branch-header 45 for each such half of each heating-wall in the battery. The automatic reversing mechanism of the battery is connected with the lever-arms 48 of the valves 49 in the pipe connection 46 between each branch-header pipe 45 and its corresponding gas-main 41. And during alternate reversal periodsthe supply to alternate pairs 50 of these branch-headers are respectively opened and shut. The gas-conduits 41, individual to the heating-hues, are placel inside the supporting walls 30 that are within the respective regenerator groups before described, and in each inare fed by the same regenerator group, so that whenever gas is fiowing upward through a gasconduit 4| there is no countercurrent flow in the regenerators on either side of the wall in which that conduit is placed, but the fiow through the regenerators on both sides of such wall is then in the same direction, that is, toward the heating-flues, as the fiow in the conduit itself, and so pressure differences are minimized on either side of such conduit and there is a corresponding minimizing of the possibility of leakage between the gas-conduit and the contiguous regenerators that are simultaneously filled with up-fiowing air. When the same regenerator group is operated for waste gas outflow, the gas conduits 4| in the walls 38 within such group have already been shut off by the reversing mechanism and there is no gas fiow through them that can be affected by any possibility of leakage through the walls that incase the gas conduits.

The checkerwork in the regenerators is subdivided by vertical transverse curtain-walls 52 to promote equality of distribution of flow.

In accordance with the present improvements, the regulation of gas fiow is; effected from the bottoms of the verticalfiues |5 instead of at the tops of the same as heretofore; and the vertical fiues I5, horizontal gas fiow spaces |1, cross-over flues l6, and communications l8 of the verticalfiues IS with the horizontal gas flow spaces or horizontal fiow duct means l1, are made of such large eflective cross-sectional area that the gas is not subjected to pressure building or to gas' throttling impedance during its course of fiow from the gas and air inlets 21, 28 of each fiue operable for up-flow combustion to the regenerator outlets 21, 28 of the combustion flues serving at the same time to exhaust the waste gases of combustion from the up-burning flues l5.

To this end a pair of sliding bricks 33, are slidably mounted in the bottoms of each vertical flue for individually regulating the effective cross sectional area of the regenerator ports 21, 28 that open into the vertical flues. These bricks 33 have side flanges 31 which are guided by ledges 38 but ride on the seat 38' for said bricks 33. The ports 21, 28 merge in a common outlet for which the pair of bricks 33 and ledges 38 additionally serve aslimiting walls. The rich gas conduits 4| for each flue |5 are each provided with removable nozzles 39 for interchange to vary the effective outlet area of the rich gas ducts. The ports 21, 28, and their bricks 33 are designed to determine the delivery of the required quantities of regeneratively preheated air and weak gas at the required velocity for each flue l5, and also for conjoint supply of preheated air or separate and simultaneous supply of preheated air and an inert gas, when the flues are fired with unpreheated rich gas from conduits 4|. In the strucure illustrated in Figs. 1 to 8 regulation of the quantities or velocity of, flow of gas through the flues is efiected by adjusting the bricks 33 relative to the outlet of regenerator ports 21, 28 and (if necessary) by interchange of nozzles 39, by means of long rods inserted through the access openings 23 at the top of the oven. Jsually it suffices merely to regulate the sliding bricks 33 for ports 21 and 28, and interchange of the ro'zzles 39 is thereby rendered unneL esrary. In event that regulation is desired for the conduits 4| this may be done, in a structure such as shown in Figs. 9 "nd 10, from be ath the battery b; manipulation of the valves 43 and only the slidthe checkerbrick to equalize pressure as shown in Fi 3.

Advantageously, then, the effective cross-sectional area of the cross-over fiues'IB, horizontal gas flow space H and the communications l8 of the vertical flues H5 at their upper parts with the horizontal gas flow space I! are made sufficiently large that they have no material effect upon the gas flow and in this way the gas flow through the flues occurs with lesser differences in pressures from inlet to outlet and less draft is required for gas fiow.

For uniform heating of the coal charge in the adjoining chambers it is necessary to supply more heat progressively towards the coke-side from the pusher-side, due to the tapering of the oven to accommodate pushing of the finished coke charges from the coking-chambers H). To this end the flues IS in each heating-wall are arranged in six intermediate groups of four fiues I5, one end group of two coke-side flues, and one end group of two pusher-side fiues l5. As shown in Fig. 5, the dimension X of the fiues l5, lengthwise of the heating-wall, is the same for all flues, but the flue width Y (Fig. 5) is, crosswise of the heating-wall, largest on the pusherside Ill and decreases uniformly towards the coke-side lo to the smallest width as indicated by Y.

The maximum areas of the common outlets for the regenerator ports 21,28, except for the two end groups of flues l5, are approximately the same, about 3" by 5", and these are graduated from the pusher-side l8 toward the coke-side provide variably greater ports, varying from 12 sq. in. to 15 sq. in., for supplying relatively more air and gas to the flues l5 toward the coke-side, to compensate for the greater heating required due to the tapering of the coal charge. It is not necessary, however, to provide successively greater inlet areas for successive flues but only groups of flues as shown in Fig. 5, since the increase in width of the charge in the chamber H), from one flue I5 to the next flue I5, is not sufiiciently great for such graduation. Graduation of the ports in groups, as indicated in Fig. 5 and the following table of areas, is preferred.

Table of combined air-and-gas regenerator ports Port No. Width Inch,

P1 and P2 area, with the first two coke-side ports greater than the first two pusher-side ports. This is to compensate for the greater radiation of heat through the doors and walls at the ends of the chambers l0, and the relatively thicker coal mass at the extreme coke end Ill of the chambers I than the pusher 'end [0. The conduits ll do not exceed 2 inches in diameter and this area is always less, usually 1 inch, due to the restriction of the nozzles 39 whose ports average about group which are further from the flared tops 22 to have more nearly the same length of travel and flow condition as the gas issuing from the flues alongside the portions having the flared tops 22. Referring to Figs. 1, 4, 9 and 10, the outlets IQ for the end groups of two vertical flues, Pl, P2 and P21, P28, are made to have the same cross-sectional area, 9" wide and 23%" long.

.The outlets i8 for all of the intermediate groups of flues l5 are the same, 9" wide and 15%" long. Such areas are greater than the possible maxi-: mum area of the gas and air inlets to the two vertical flues served by the respective outlets 18. It is not necessary to vary the width or length of these outlets l8 due to the fact that they are three or four times larger than they ports at the tops of the vertical flues of the structures of my aforesaid patents so that graduating the size of these outlets l8 from one end of the coking-chamber to the other would have no effect upon the distribution of the gases; in other words, the regulation of the air and gas 'is done in the ports in the bottoms of the vertical'flues, and the ports at the top of the flues are made sufliciently large that they have no material effect upon the gas flow. The horizontal gas flow space is made large enough so that each portion thereof is of large enough efl'ective crosssectional area to accommodate all the gas flow from the vertical flues i 5 served by such portions without increasing the resistance to the flow of the gas.

In the present embodiment of the invention the efl'ective cross-sectional area of each part of the horizontal gas flow space or duct means I! is about 180 sq. in., and thecross-over flues l8 are all about 13%" in one direction marked "U" in Figs. 1 and 9 but in the other direction marked V in Figs. 1 and 9 are graduated from the cokeside to the pusher-side as follows: 10%", 9 9%, 9 8%", 8%, 8%", the end pusherside however being 10", due to the larger air and gas inlet area for the pusher end group of two flues I5.

The groups of flues having the same gas and air inlet ports of the same area are preferably separated from each other by partitions 2|, in the horizontal gas flow space or duct means H, and the cross-over flues distributed accordingly, one for each group as shown.

Due to the large areas of the regenerators and the fact that in operation they are substantially constantly filled with so large volumes of gashr air, graduation of the sole-flues 34 is not essential to uniform distribution; but where exactness in this respect is desired, the sole-flues 34 are tapered so as to narrow towards the middle point 36' between the inlets 36 (Fig. 9).

The invention as hereinbefore set forth or exemplified, by said illustrative instances. may be variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the claims hereinafter made.

1. In a coking retort oven, in combination: a series of side-by-side horizontal coking-chambers and intermediate heating-walls comprising verticombustion media into such flues, said .inlet means being substantially the sole regulating means for individually regulating the vertical flame flues, the inlet means comprising ports of restricted and graduated cross-sectional areas,

and the tops of the vertical flues, the horizontal passages communicating therewith,and thecrossover ducts therefor, each being throughout of greatly larger cross-sectional area than the aggreg'ate of the inlet ports of the vertical flues served by such parts, so that resistance to the initially graduated gas-flow in the circuits around the coking-chambers is diminished and pressure differences are reduced.

2. A coking retort oven as claimed in claim 1 and in which the vertical flame-flues of each group communicate in pairs with their respective horizontal passages through a common outlet individual to the pair and centrally disposed with respect to the flues of the pair at their upper parts. y

3. A coking retort oven as claimed inclaim 1 and in which the vertical flame-flues of each group communicate in pairs with their respective horizontal passages through a common outlet individual to the pair and centrally disposed with respect to the flues of the pair at their upper parts, and in which deflectors are provided, longitudinally of the heating wall, for each flue of a pair onlyon opposite sides respectively of their common outlet to approximately equalize, the length of travel of gas flow through the outlet from the flues of each pair to their cross-over duct.

4. A coking retort oven as claimed in claim 1 ,and in which the coking-chambers are tapered of vertical flame-flues from the pusher side to the coke side of the oven.

5. In a coking retort oven comprising, in combination: a series of side-by-side horizontal coking-chambers and intermediate heating-walls vertical combustion flues having individual air and gas inlet ports in their bottoms and communicating at their upper parts with a; horizontal gas flow duct-means adapted to serve the vertical flues in groups, the horizontal gas flow ductmeans in each of the heating-walls being communicably connected with a horizontal gas flow duct-means in another of the heating-walls by cross-over duct means extending over an intervening coking-chamber, and regenerators communicating with the combustion flues; the eflective cross-sectional area of each of the parts of the cross-over duct-means and horizontal gas flow duct-means, and of the communications of the latter with the tops of the respective vertical flues being throughout substantially greater than the aggregate area of the air and gas inlet ports for the vertical flues served by such parts, to avoid impedances that would augment the pressures of the gas flowing therethroughfrom the inlet ports; and means for regulating the supply of air and gas from their inlet ports into the vertical flues, the air and gas inletports in each heating wall being graduated in cross-sectional area, and said bottom airand gas inlet ports with their regulating means therefor being substantially the sole regulating means for individually regulating the vertical combustion flues.

6. A coke oven as claimed in claim 1 and in which the gas and air inlet ports for each vertical flue comprise two ports for gas and a port for air and in which the regenerators communicate in pairs with each flue, with one regenerator of a pair communicating with an air inlet port and the other regenerator communicating with one of the gas inlet ports to the vertical flue, and in which a conduit for conveying unpreheated rich gas is provided to communicate with the other gas inlet port for the flues, for optional operation of regenerators in communication with gas inlet ports for concurrent inflow of air, and in which the means for regulating the supply of air and gas comprises sliding dampers in the bottoms of the vertical flues for regulating the flow from the regenerator inlet ports, and interchangeable nozzles for the gas inlet ports provided for communication with conduits for conveying rich gas.

'7. A coke oven as claimed in claim 5 and in which the regenerators communicate in pairs with each flue, with one regenerator of a pair communicating with an air inlet port and the other regenerator communicating with the gas inlet port to the vertical flue, and in which the means for regulating the supply of air and gas comprises sliding dampers in the bottoms of the vertical flues for regulating the flow from the regenerator inlet ports.

8. A coke oven as claimed in claim 5 and in which the gas and air inlet ports for each vertical flue comprises two ports for gas and a port tional operation of regenerators in. communicatherefor, each of said heating-walls comprising.

tion with gas inlet ports for concurrent inflow of air, and in which the means iorregulating the supply of air and gas comprises sliding dampers in the bottoms of the vertical flues for regulating flow from the regenerator inlet ports, and regulating valves in the individual conduits in the accessible passageways.

9. A coke oven as claimed in claim 5 and in which conduits for conveying unpreheated rich gas are provided to communicate with the gas inlet ports to the vertical flues, and in which the regenerators communicate with the vertical flues through the air inlet ports, and in which the means for regulating-the supply of air and gas comprises sliding dampers in the bottoms of the vertical dues for regulating the flow from the regenerator inlet ports, and interchangeable nozzles for the gas inlet ports. I

10. A coke oven as claimed in claim 5 and in which the regenerators are separated by regenerator walls and communicate through the air inlet ports with the vertical flues, and in which conduits individual to the respective vertical flues and communicating with the gas inlet ports therefor, extend down through the regenerator-walls and terminate in accessible passageways in communication with a conduit for conveying unpreheated rich gas to the flues, and in which the means for regulating the. supply 01 air and gas comprises dampers in the bottoms of the vertical flues for regulating the flow from the regenerator inlet ports, and regulating valves in the individual conduits in the accessible passageways.

11. In a coking retort oven comprising, in combination: a series of alternate horizontal coking-chambers and intermediate heating-walls therefor arranged side-by-side, each of said coking-chambers being tapered from one horizontal end toward the other and each of said heatingwalls comprising vertical combustion flues having individual inlet means for gas and air at their bottoms, flues of each of the heating-walls being communicably connected in groups with the flues of another heating-wall by cross-over ducts crossing over an intervening coking-chamber at spaced intervals therealong, the communication of vertical flues at each end of the cross-overs comprising horizontal gas flow spaces each of which communicably connects a group of vertical flues at their tops with a cross-over and each of which communicates centrally with the latter; the inlet means for the vertical flues being graduated in increasing areas in each wall from the narrower ends of the adjacent coking-chambers towards the wider ends thereof to provide for gradually greater heating and the cross-over ducts for each heating-wall being likewise graduated to accommodate the graduated quantities of combustion-products, the effective cross-sectional area of each of the parts of the cross-over flues, horizontal gas flow spaces, and of the communications of the latter with the vertical flues, being substantially greater than that of the aggregate of the inlet means for the vertical flues served by such parts, to avoid impedance that would augment the pressure of gas flowing through such parts, and regulable means for regulating the inlet means in the bottoms of the vertical flues and said bottom air and gas inlet ports with their regulating means therefor being substantially the 'sole regulating means for individually regulating the vertical combustion flues.

12. A coking retort oven as claimed in claim 1 and in which the vertical flame-flues of each group communicate in pairs with their respective mon outlet to approximately equalize the length of travel of gas flow through the outlet from the lines of each pair to their crossover-duct, and in which the separating partitions between the hues of each pair are stopped short at their upper ends 5 and terminate a distance below the deflectors.

JosEPn BECKER. 

